Rabbi’s Reflections -Thursday, August 29, 2019
Shalom *|FNAME|*,
I am inviting you to join me in prayer. Prayer over Yeshua’s words… “John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” The word “keep” in Hebrew is “Shomair.” We must Shomair His commandments. What’s that all about?
We find out what that’s all about at the end of the chapter. John 14:31a But in order that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me.
Yeshua is not calling on us to do anything that He, Himself, is not doing. I’ve heard very many preachers teach something different in an effort to explain grace, “We don’t have to keep the Law because Yeshua kept it for us.” That flies in the face of Yeshua’s own words. I vote we preach His words and not our own.
Then what is grace? It is a gift from God which is the desire to do His will. And because God is a loving God, He would never give us the desire without also giving us the ability.
This leads me to one final point, frustration. Frustration is wanting something and not getting it. If you’re frustrated, pray. Ask God, why am I frustrated? Tell God, You’ve never been frustrated, so why am I?
Maybe it is because we want something that God doesn’t want for us. Maybe God wants it for us, but not yet. Timing issues can also manifest in frustration. May frustration flee.
Week 35
Memory Verse: John 15:4 Abide in Me, and I will abide in you. The branch cannot itself produce fruit, unless it abides on the vine. Likewise, you cannot produce fruit unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for apart from Me, you can do nothing.
171 8/26 Monday: John 11; Matthew 21:1-13
172 8/27 Tuesday: John 13
173 8/28 Wednesday: John 14-15
* 174 8/29 Thursday: John 16
175 8/30 Friday: Matthew 24:1-31
Question of the day: Consider Yeshua’s last words in John 16. John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have shalom. In the world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world!” What does it mean “I have overcome the world?”
Answer: The Hebrew New Testament uses the word “Netzach” for “overcome.” This is not the modern Hebrew word for overcomer. The word “Netzach” means preeminent in an eternal way. It is usually translated “forever” or “forever supreme.”
Yeshua wants us to know about His death, resurrection and the promise of the Holy Spirit for our “Shalom.” He knows the news of His death will be heartbreaking, so He commands us to have Shalom.
He tells us to “take heart” because He has become the preeminent one for eternity. In fact, the Hebrew word for “world” (Olam) can mean eternity. Olam also means universe which is eternity in space.
Rabbi Trail: Have you heard of the space-time continuum? It’s four dimensional. We measure time (one dimension in 3 parts; past, present and future) through space (three dimensions). A year is the time it takes the earth to make one revolution around the sun (365.2422 days). It is even called a “solar year.” End RT.
But I digress… Yeshua has become the preeminent One through His death. Sounds counterintuitive until you consider His resurrection. Through His resurrection Yeshua overcame death, not just for Himself, but also for we who believe. So He tells us to “take heart.” In fact, the promise is, John 16:22b ”…and no one will take your joy away from you!” Amen!